News LIVE: Firefighters prepare to knock down 75-acre Oak Grove fire

A fire near Pine Valley Mountain caused the Oak Grove Campground to be evacuated, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

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WASHINGTON COUNTY – Firefighters are staging and making preparations Tuesday to battle a 75-acre fire near Pine Valley Mountain presumed to be lightning-caused.

A fire near Pine Valley Mountain caused the Oak Grove Campground to be evacuated, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

Around 11 a.m., the St. George Communications Center began receiving a multitude of calls about the wildfire which can be seen burning from various places throughout Washington County.

The fire is currently burning approximately 2 miles east of Oak Grove Campground.

Authorities began evacuating the campground, which is located about 13.5 miles north of St. George in the Dixie National Forest to the east of the Pine Valley Mountain wilderness.

The evacuation was done as a precautionary measure, Washington County Fire Warden Adam Heyder, because of the continuous fuel between the fire and the campground.

Firefighters prepare pool of water to be dumped on a fire near Pine Valley Mountain, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

At this time, Heyder said, there is no immediate threat to life or property.

Because of safety issues caused by rocky, steep terrain and extreme fire behavior, Heyder said, no firefighters are being put on the mountain until after the fire is brought under better control through use of air support. Firefighters are currently staged approximately 2 miles out.

While the fire is presumed to be lightning-caused, Heyder said, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by the authorities and may not contain the full scope of findings.

St. George News Assistant Editor Kimberly Scott contributed to this report.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.

View from LaVerkin of a fire near Pine Valley Mountain that caused the Oak Grove Campground to be evacuated, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Brittney Cloer, St. George News

View from the Leeds/Silver Reef area of a fire near Pine Valley Mountain that caused the Oak Grove Campground to be evacuated, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Jenny Bracken, St. George News

View from the Leeds/Silver Reef area of a fire near Pine Valley Mountain that caused the Oak Grove Campground to be evacuated, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Jenny Bracken, St. George News

View from the Leeds/Silver Reef area of a fire near Pine Valley Mountain that caused the Oak Grove Campground to be evacuated, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Jenny Bracken, St. George News

A fire near Pine Valley Mountain caused the Oak Grove Campground to be evacuated, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

View from the Santa Clara area of a fire near Pine Valley Mountain that caused the Oak Grove Campground to be evacuated, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Ralph Reina, St. George News

View from the Santa Clara area of a fire near Pine Valley Mountain that caused the Oak Grove Campground to be evacuated, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Ralph Reina, St. George News

A fire near Pine Valley Mountain caused the Oak Grove Campground to be evacuated, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo by Julie Applegate, St. George News

Firefighters prepare pool of water to be dumped on a fire near Pine Valley Mountain, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

A fire near Pine Valley Mountain caused the Oak Grove Campground to be evacuated, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

A fire near Pine Valley Mountain caused the Oak Grove Campground to be evacuated, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

"Pine Valley Mountain fire has gone over the ridge. This fire ignited about an hour ago. The fire started about a 1/4 of the way down the ridge.We have been watching it from our home in Hurricane. The flames can be seen right on the south slope of the Pine Valley Mountains," Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Cathy Bradfield, St. George News

View from the Washington City area of a fire near Pine Valley Mountain that caused the Oak Grove Campground to be evacuated, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Paul Jensen, St. George News

A fire near Pine Valley Mountain caused the Oak Grove Campground to be evacuated, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Misty Dahl, St. George News

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

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About the Author

Mori Kessler serves as a Senior Reporter for St. George News, having previously contributed as a writer and Interim Editor in 2011-12, and an assistant editor from 2012 to mid-2014. He began writing news as a freelancer in 2009 for Today in Dixie, and joined the writing staff of St. George News in mid-2010. He is also a shameless nerd and has a bad sense of direction, often telling people go left while he is pointing right. Numbers greater than five also confuse him.